Luneth and Link
by TheLonelyAbsol
Summary: (FFIII-Twilight Princess) Link and Zelda are exiled to the world of FFIII by Ganondorf, where Zelda is kidnapped by Xande. Luneth must help Link save his princess and the world of FFIII under orders from the Crystal of Light. Uses an altered idea from my story "Luneth's Silver." Now on hiatus…
1. Chapter 1

So, here's my third FanFiction! As I said in the summary, I am using an altered character from FF3. If you want to read my semi-yaoi story, you can do that. But I'll reveal the secret sometime later in this story... And if you have read Luneth's Silver, keep in mind this will be a little different, but close bonds will still have to be formed.

Not sure where I'm starting in Twilight Princess; I never finished the game and I don't even know if Ganondorf is in it. Just... go with it. °~°

I don't anticipate many readers. This is mainly for my friend Saria-Green-Leaf. ^-^ YAY!

* * *

Ganondorf laughed maniacally for the third time in a row. His two victims were cornered right where he wanted them, and they knew they had no chance of escape.

Link hissed through his teeth, gripping his sword tighter. Above all else, he had to protect Zelda. Midna was nowhere in sight, but that was just like her. The real question was how Ganondorf had infiltrated the castle...

"You two have always been incessant thorns in my side! Now, it is time to disappear… FOREVER!" Ganondorf raised his arms, muttering a long string of foreign words as Zelda tried to counter it with her own magic. Link looked back and forth at the two uneasily, deciding to stay out of the spell-casting affairs and just keep looking fierce.

A sudden blast of light, and a large rift opened in the center of the royal room. Zelda paused in her recitations, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's something else altogether, Ganondorf." She stared up at him warily. "Since when did you know how to open doors to the other dimensions?"

"Oh, I've always known," the dark wizard chuckled. "I just wanted to wait until the right time to reveal it, so I could see your sad little faces..."

Link frowned, ignoring his sworn enemy for a moment as the scent of darkness surged out of the portal. "What are you doing to that world?!"

"Just the usual, _Hero_ Boy. Helping things along. The Twilight of our land may be receding, but it feeds on darkness. And the darkness in there... grows as it is exposed to our Twilight!" Ganondorf waved his hand at the rift in space and time dramatically. "Now go have fun on your vacation, while I fix Hyrule for good! Or should I say... bah, you know what I mean. This grows tiresome. Leave, already!"

Zelda gasped as dark power lifted her up and flung her towards the portal. "Link!" Her last cry echoed through the chamber as the darkness sucked her in.

"You monster! What did you do to her?!" With a cry of anger the swordsman rushed at the mage, but the magic quickly took hold of him, as well.

Ganondorf chuckled at the boy's futile thrashing. "I no longer need her. But a certain dark friend of mine may find her... interesting. And you are only in the way here. So... off you go! If you and your princess ever reunite, you can play around in peace, knowing that Hyrule is MINE! Gahahaha..."

The gruesome face twisted into an evil laugh was the last thing Link saw before he was sucked into the vortex…

^°·°^

Luneth sat down in the grass, crossing his arms. "First I'm exiled from the village, and now some huge crystal is telling me to save the world! I think I should be waking up anytime now..."

The freelancer stabbed his dagger into the dirt impatiently. "Come on, it's a dream! It has to be!"

When nothing happened, the boy hung his head and prayed to his gods. "_Wake me up. Now!'_

An explosion of thunder and light erupted above his head, and the boy stared up at the sky. "Eep! I'm sorry! Please forgive me for my rudeness!" His idols weren't very merciful... Luneth had never been very religious, and this was the reason why.

Two figures fell out of the light, one completely crushing the boy. Gasping for breath, he pushed the girl off of him and... girl? A girl, falling out of the sky? "WAKE ME UP! This isn't funny!"

"Oh, but I find it very funny, indeed. Is your sense of humor as dry as the deserts of the east? Poor you..." A dark-skinned man floated out of the sky next to them. "May I have this heap of seriousness, whose amusement is clearly wasted on creatures like yourself? Or would you prefer to fall asleep... permanently?"

Luneth shook his head. Dream or not, he wasn't going to hand over a girl to any old stranger! Nina had taught him that much... Never betray a lady. Or else. And this girl looked like royalty, so her "or else" would be dished out twice as hard.

The other fallen form stumbled to his feet. Clad completely in green, he looked rather odd. Was he in league with the strange man here? Judging by the concerned gaze he held for the girl, Luneth guessed not.

"Who are you? And where is this?" The green boy demanded, his questions directed at Luneth.

The boy stood up slowly, helping the winded girl up with him. "This is the Floating Continent, and we're somewhere around Castle Sasune. I'm Luneth, and that guy is not the friendliest person in the world... Actually, he wants this girl!"

"What?! He can't have her!" The boy exhibited an alarming display of gymnastics as he side-hopped over to the maiden. "You stay away, too!"

Luneth complied readily, seeing that the stranger was more than capable of holding his own against the man. The green boy's level of agility was close to his own, and the floating man didn't seem to be much of a threat... but looks could be deceiving.

"I'll watch your back," he offered, but the boy was already shaking his head.

"I work alone." The tall posture bragged of a trained soldier, and Luneth was reminded of a certain blonde at Castle Sasune who had turned him away earlier that day...

The girl tugged playfully at the green tunic in front of her. "Funny, I seem to recall seeing Midna with you quite often! And how would you have-"

"Stop it, Zelda. Hyrule is in danger! Act more like a princess, and think of your people!"

Luneth blinked. So the girl _was _royalty. And the boy was likely her personal soldier... Great. Another twist to this crazy dream. Weirdos appearing out of nowhere; and royalty, no less!

The dark man had been silent during the entire conversation, but now he swooped forward and snatched Zelda away from her soldier. "I'll be taking this!" Cackling, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, taking the screaming princess with him.

The green boy stood breathless for a moment, then turned on Luneth with a passionate fury. "What have you done?! Princess Zelda has been kidnapped! Again! By another malevolent enemy! And all I could do was stand there! What have you done?!"

"What?! How is this my... Wait a second. This is still a dream, right? I mean, how in Ur could anyone possibly be such a terrible soldier as to let his princess get kidnapped even _once_?" Luneth chuckled to himself, wiping a hand across his sweating brow. "I'll be waking up any second now..."

A punch in the jaw was enough to finally convince him that this was no dream. "Shut up! It's your fault! Get out there and help me get her back!" Fire burned in the boy's purple eyes, and Luneth fancied he could see his own emotions of the day reflected in them.

"How would I do that?" He asked sadly. "I have no friends anymore. They all... they exiled me from Ur, even Arc. Arc... I thought at least _he _would..."

The soldier sheathed his sword, realizing the impossibility of the task he was trying to force upon the clearly helpless boy. "I apologize. I will go save my princess and potentially your entire world on my own, then."

"H-hey! I... I never said I couldn't help," Luneth protested, wiping away his tears. "I'll come with you. The crystal said I had to save the world with someone else, and I guess... it meant you."

The green soldier sighed, doubting the capability of the boy but remembering his princess' last words. "Zelda always said that teamwork was important... All right. Let's go find her."

"Wait! I told you my name, so what's yours?" Luneth trotted after his new accomplice, who was already striding off in a random direction.

The boy looked over his shoulder at his new partner. "...Link."

* * *

Ah, that was terrible! D: The next chapters will be better, I promise. Maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

Ah, it makes me SO happy that there are no reviews... :I No, really.

* * *

Luneth rolled his eyes. What was a highly-strung soldier like this guy doing guarding a princess? No wonder she'd been kidnapped before... This Link character was even worse than the blonde soldier at Castle Sasune! Every five seconds, he'd start checking out random tracks on the ground, even though his Zelda had been _teleported_ away.

"Where are we headed?" Luneth jumped when the green boy asked the answer to the one thing he still wasn't sure of.

He scratched the back of his head uneasily. "Well, we're trying to get to... your friend, right?" The soldier nodded, causing Luneth to start sweating. What a cold stare! "She's probably... at the bad guy's hideout, right?" Another nod. "So, I thought we'd just check out every place that looks suspicious!"

"That is the least-productive plan I've heard in my life."

Luneth turned his back on the boy, drops of sweat beading down his forehead as he hiked through the forest. "Well, we're going to start in a sealed cave, where a djinn is said to be sealed. He could have been the black floating guy we saw..."

"The djinn is sealed?" The boy's question made Luneth stop short. How stupid! They'd come all this way, but the djinn wasn't even active!

He grinned nervously. "Yeah, I guess... whoops. Guess we'll have to turn around, then."

"No need. We have come to a mountain pass, and I doubt this is the way to any djinn's cave." The soldier gestured at the mountains towering above them, and Luneth turned pale.

How had he been going the wrong way this whole time? His sense of direction must have been slightly skewed by the... by the... No, he wouldn't think about it. "Well, imagine that! We're headed to the ocean, after all!"

"What is at the ocean?" Link began the trek through the valley without his young partner.

Luneth hurried after him, his breath coming quickly. The djinn was sealed, anyway. He'd never have gotten a chance to ask... "Well, the ocean leads to the other small islands. I've heard there are dangerous criminals out there. We may have a chance at-"

"You say 'small islands'. Why not 'continents'?" Dang, this boy was sharp!

Luneth laughed nervously, passing the boy as he put his hidden anxiety to use. "Er, we're on a huge floating continent! The real world... the surface world, it's called... Well no one has seen it in years."

Link paused in his hiking, stopping next to a tree to inspect the leaves. "What a strange world you inhabit..."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? You're from here too, right?! Unless... You aren't from the surface world, are you? I thought you'd just teleported yourselves out of a dungeon..." Luneth frowned. Speaking of which, he'd never seen such odd clothing. Link's hat was absolutely ridiculous! He and his princess weren't from anywhere near Ur... Judging by their pointed ears, Luneth's first thought had been that they were giant gnomes.

Link's voice startled the boy out of his thoughts. "I am not from this world."

Luneth gaped at him. Not from anywhere here, not even the surface world?! Where could he have come from, then? There weren't any other surface worlds that Luneth knew of...

"My princess and I are from the kingdom of Hyrule, in a land that most certainly has no relation to this place. Frankly, I am surprised that you speak Hylian. I was expecting something much more... amusing." Link smiled to himself, and Luneth's eyes instinctively drifted down to the magnificent sword hilt that stuck out of the boy's sheath. What was Link's idea of 'amusing'?

"That's nice," he ventured. "But I don't speak this 'Hylian'. My village speaks the easygoing tongue of Seravians, our ancient ancestors."

Link started walking again, muttering to himself. After a while, he spoke up. "That is odd. I could not understand the dark man at all. Yet you are now speaking the same language as him, correct?"

Luneth nodded. "But I could understand your princess, even though you both supposedly speak 'Hylian'."

"Why is that so? I daresay I would not be capable of comprehending any of the other foreigners in this world." Link shook his head. "Argh! This is so frustrating!"

Luneth chuckled to himself. "Maybe it's because I've been 'blessed'."

"Blessed?"

"The Crystal of Light blessed me with the power of Light, or so it said. Maybe I can understand you guys because it's part of my quest!" Luneth assumed a self-righteous pose. Though this Link boy was rude, he clearly had a lot of inner turmoil going on deep inside that green-clad heart. Well, Luneth was going to be the one to help him!

Link walked away, his belly grumbling. "I'm hungry. Do you have any food?"

"Eh..." Luneth stumbled after him, gripping his little yellow pack protectively. "No! I just got kicked out of my town! Why would I have thought to bring food?!"

Link glared at him. "You knew you were going on a journey, right?"

"NO!"

"Well, _they_ knew, didn't they?" Link put a hand on his sword, getting annoyed with the useless brat.

Luneth shrugged. "Not really. I only found out after they chased me into the Altar Cave, and I tripped a secret switch and fell down to the Crystal's chamber."

"Why would your friends and family chase you? Where you being a naughty boy?"

Luneth turned a dark shade of red at Link's snide comment. "No, I..." He fumed inwardly, but kept his cool long enough to scream at the nearest Bugbear. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Clearly, he's eating the mangled remains of some kind of giant insect..." Link cocked his head, trying to get a closer look at the wonders of nature.

Luneth pulled him towards the sea, glad for any distractions regarding the subject of his exile. "Let's go."

"How are we supposed to travel without a boat?" Link questioned, not moving at all because the silver-haired boy was two heads shorter than him, and twice as weak.

Luneth stopped short, his mouth halfway open to make a witty reply.

"Why don't we climb that mountain, and see if we can spot a ship from there?"

Luneth looked up at Dragon's Peak, where the green soldier was gesturing. "…I was just about to say that!"

"Sure you were, little boy. Let's start climbing." Link set off for the mountain, but Luneth cast a longing glance at the small village next to it. Hadn't Link been talking about food just moments earlier?

"You coming, or are you too Cucco?" Link called from twenty feet up. "Come on!"

What was a Cucco? Could it be related to a Chocobo...? "I'm coming, I just... I thought you were hungry!" He cried accusingly.

"I only said that to test your endurance," Link snorted. Luneth wanted to slap his angular face right off...

Bracing himself for hours of fun mountain-hiking, Luneth slid his hands into the handholds Link had left behind. "So much for stocking up on gnomish bread..."

…

Link sat at the foot of a scraggly tree, waiting for the younger boy to catch up. Not even sure if the kid was worth waiting for, he unsheathed his sword and sat staring at it for a while. The scratches from angry Cuccos... the nicks from boss battles... All of the imperfections of his blade seemed to scream out at him, and yet the world in which they had been inflicted was already feeling like a dream. What did a Goron look like, again? Link shut his eyes, trying to remember his old friends. And the Zoras... how in the world did they even make that armor out of their own skin?!

…

Luneth pulled himself onto the small cliff. Seeing Link snoozing against a tree, the winded boy felt somewhat entitled to a nap of his own. He rolled over right where he lay, and was asleep in moments.

…

Link opened an eye. The boy had fallen asleep almost immediately. Was it really that difficult to climb a mountain? Climbing the cliffs in Goron territory had been pretty bad, even for himself. This kid would never have made it...

The boy's pack lay off to the side, its long strap allowing Luneth to sleep without fear of rolling over it. Why had he been trying to shield it when Link had voiced his hunger? He'd already said there was no food...

Overcome by curiosity, Link inched forward and opened the pack, careful not to wake the boy. Only one small flap keeping all this from tumbling out... Link's eyes widened. This wasn't what he'd expected at all!

He pulled out a small charcoal sketch of a young lady, with odd characters written off to the side. Link guessed it was the name of the woman... Was she the boy's love interest? No... as the soldier peered closer at the drawing, he noticed small details. The way she was smiling... Kind, not loving. Her eyes... gentle, not sparkly and sweet. She seemed more of a motherly figure, though she didn't resemble the boy at all. Could this be his foster parent?

Link flipped the page over, expecting it to be blank. Another beautiful drawing stared back at him. A young boy, his hair shaded rather darkly. A big grin on his face, playful and cute. Was this Arc, the name Luneth had mentioned earlier? Arc, whom he'd thought wouldn't betray him, along with the rest of his village?

Link replaced the page in the small book he'd found it tucked in. He couldn't read the book's writing, and there were no further drawings. Instead, Link fished out a small, dried leaf that smelled... He couldn't place it, but it reminded him of Cuccos. A Cucco would just love the scent of this... Link shook his head. Why was he thinking about Cuccos when he was rummaging through someone's private belongings?!

The boy stirred in his sleep, and Link replaced the leaf frantically. Soon Luneth rolled over and resumed his even breathing. Link relaxed, digging further into the pouch. To his surprise, he found several small daggers, wrapped in leather. Was this boy violent, or just skilled at swordplay? …Link scoffed at himself. Daggers! What sort of swordsmanship could be achieved with _daggers_?

The Hylian quickly replaced the blades, resolving not to dwell on the contents of the bag. He leaned back up against the tree as if he had been sleeping the whole time, so the boy wouldn't be alarmed when he awoke.

As he relaxed, the swordsman found himself wondering about the boy himself. The way he'd so easily displayed his family's emotion towards him in those sketches... Luneth must be heartbroken over his supposed exile. He was doing a good job of hiding it, though. What trials had the boy been through? And what difficulties did he have yet to face?…

* * *

Sorry for my lateness! I'll have the next chapter maybe Tuesday, if not tomorrow. ^~^


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! Only five readers, and two have already lost interest! That's great! I'm glad this is just a private little story for you three, and I'll try and make it interesting! ^-^

* * *

Luneth rolled over, yawning wearily. "Huh? Where am I?"

"Have you already forgotten? Foolish child." A deep voice from next to him made the boy jump. What was going on here? Who was the freaky weirdo in the terrible green outfit?!

Luneth stared at him, finding something about him vaguely familiar... As the events of yesterday returned to him slowly, he smacked a fist into his hand. "Oh! That's right! You're Kink! The guy with the princess Helda!"

"Are you that bad with names?" The soldier asked dryly. "Never mind, let's just keep going."

Luneth sat up, watching the older boy walk away. "Did I get it wrong? Drink? Fink? Mink? Hey, Sink! Where are we going?"

"Stop that! Don't you remember anything?!"

The freelancer hung his head. "Nope. Sorry, Bink. Wink?"

The soldier rolled his eyes, continuing up the mountain.

"Hey! Wait for me! Rink, Tink, whatever!" Luneth scrambled to his feet, adjusting his pack as he darted after his odd new companion.

…

The short hike felt excruciatingly long to Link, who tried to ignore the meaningless yammering of the other boy that likely resulted from the lack of something to eat.

"Pink? Think? Huh... Jink? Dink? Ink?" Luneth scratched his head, trying to think of any letters he might have missed. "Zink? Oh, that's right! Your princess was named Zelda!"

Link rolled his eyes, climbing to the peak of the mountain. "_ Let's look."_

"Eh? Look for what?" The boy had been shockingly oblivious to all the hints Link had thrown at him, and he refused to accept any suggestions or assistance. "Er, Oo-ink?"

Giving up, Luneth scanned the horizon. "Oh, yeah! I remember now!"

"You do?" Link asked hopefully. An end to the gibberish nonsense...?

Luneth nodded. "Yup! We're looking for a ship! Right, Hink?"

The soldier groaned, sinking to his knees. "Would you just shut up?! My name is _ Link_! _Link_, got it?"

"I think so... Oh! It starts with an 'L'! Just like my name!"

Link frowned. What was an 'ell'? Was that what the '不' symbol meant in this world? "All right. Are you done talking?"

"Nope! I still don't know a thing about you, other than your name. So, how old are you?"

The soldier moaned. "I'm not going to answer that..."

"Hey!" Luneth pointed off in the distance, easily distracted. "That's a ship, right there! Parked behind the village!"

Link followed his finger, unsure if he'd heard him right. How could a ship be parked? Link had only ever been in small canoes and such made by the Zoras, but he was pretty sure they were rendered immobile by 'docking', not 'parking'.

A ship with large sticks of wood sticking out the top was parked - yes, parked - next to the town, just as Luneth had said. But why? A ship was useless outside of the sea...

"Let's steal it!" Luneth cried. "I've never piloted an airship before, but it can't be much harder than a Chocobo, can it?"

Link just stared at him. Airship? As in, a ship that would float in the air? And what was a Chocobo?!

"Come on! I'm sure that nice dragon will give us a lift down," Luneth chuckled, whistling with his fingers halfway in his mouth. The shrill squeak was barely audible, but it injured what little bit of wolf ears Link had retained from his time in the Twilight.

"That will never work," he muttered, scanning the sparse ground for vegetation. Though he didn't see a dragon, it was common knowledge that in order to call any creature, you had to have a leaf shaped exactly like a specific part of its body. But all the hero of Hyrule could see was clumps of cone-shaped weeds. Unless...

Link plucked up a weed, tucking it between his lips firmly. With a deep inhalation through his nose, he began blowing. The dragons-horn grass quivered, shaking in tight circles as the air blew past it.

Luneth listened in rapt awe as his partner whistled a lonesome tune with the weed, the music sending shivers down his spine. As soon as he was done, the boy knelt to snatch up a weed of his own. "How did you do that?!"

"Shush! It's coming," Link said solemnly, gazing up at the sky. Shielding his eyes from the sun, Luneth looked around in confusion.

Gusts of wind blew from behind them, and the boys turned slowly around. "Gah!" Luneth yelped in surprise, stumbling backwards as he found himself face-to-face with a monstrous dragon. The creature didn't seem intent on hurting them, though...

"Please take us down," Link said to the dragon, his words sounding more like an order than a request. Luneth could understand him, but he somehow heard faint traces of the beautiful Hylian language. It seemed to come out more clearly when the boy was barking commands...

The dragon grabbed Luneth in its mouth, giving him a frightful scare. "Hey! It's going to eat me!"

"Stay still," Link murmured softly as the dragon gripped him in a taloned hand.

Luneth gripped his weed tightly as the mythical creature gave him a personal ride down to the ground. Getting a little peeved as the dragon slid its tongue up and down his body, Luneth was more than happy when they touched down on solid ground again.

"Thank you," Link whispered as the monster released him gently, careful not to startle the creature with any loud sounds or sudden movement.

Link thrashed about in the dragon's mouth, kicking at fangs and slapping away the offending tongue. "Put me down!" He shrieked.

Link walked away, too amused with the boy's foolish behavior to worry about him. A loud thud resounded throughout the valley, ascertaining that the dragon had, in fact, put him down.

…

"Urgh..." Luneth opened his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his body and concentrate on just staying awake. "Dink, why are you lickin' me?" He blinked, surprised. What had he just said?

Someone was... licking him? Link?! Luneth shot upright, screaming out in pain as his back made a crunching sound. Cold reptilian eyes stared at him.

"Eep! What are you still doing here?!" Luneth tried to scramble away, but his body wouldn't move. Everything was sore, and he could barely breathe at all. "G-get away..."

The dragon's mouth opened, its tongue sliding out to lick him again. Flinching, Luneth grimaced as the wet tongue slid over his already-damp clothes. "D-don't do... that..."

…

Link narrowed his eyes, turning around all prepared to chew out his young companion for lagging behind. To his utter bewilderment, the boy was nowhere to be seen! The dragon was already back up in the air, but Luneth was gone.

As the soldier looked around frantically, a battered weed floated gently out of the sky. Link stared at it for a moment, a deep sense of unease growing in the pit of his stomach. "LUNETH!"

His voice echoed throughout the valley, but there was no reply. Was he too late...?! Link darted after the piece of grass, its odd behavior of floating forwards and then back again only frustrating him further. He couldn't let that little brat get eaten by a dragon! What would his family think?! …but the boy had no family anymore, didn't he…

Link's hand closed on the weed at last, and he stuck it into his mouth frantically. Rushing through the song of summoning, he let the limp piece of grass fall to the ground as soon as he was finished.

The dragon paused in its circling among the clouds. To the boy's relief, the figure dropped down after a long pause, swooping towards him. The beast landed on the soft grass with hardly a sound, a disturbing lump in its mouth.

"Eh... please return my friend," Link begged. The dragon cocked its head. Even though it had obeyed him before, Link couldn't be sure the dragon had really understood him. It could have just been trying to beat up Luneth before taking him away somewhere to consume on its own... or feed him to its offspring.

But the intelligent creature apparently understood Hylian, and it deposited its limp baggage in the grass before the swordsman.

"Th-thank you!" Link cried, dropping to his knees next to the boy. As the dragon flew away, he checked for signs of life from the unmoving body.

He couldn't be dead... Though the boy had been incredibly stupid and irritating, he hadn't deserved this! And it was all Link's fault... If he hadn't called down the dragon, they would have hiked down the mountain uneventfully, and the boy could have made up with his village for whatever he'd done wrong...

Link shook silently, tears falling from his eyes. The last time he had cried like this... Had it been when Ilia had been stolen away? No... he'd never cried for her. Then, why was he crying for this mangled body? He felt a strange kinship between them, a feeling he'd never experienced before. The boy had been dangerously annoying, but... Why did it hurt so much to lose him?

"Guh... D-dink?" The body stirred, and eyes fluttered open. "What... what are you d-doing?"

Link stared at him, his eyes welling up with tears of relief and joy instead of sadness. "You're alive…"

"C-course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Luneth began coughing, blood coating his hands as he tried to cover his mouth. "Wha... what happened?"

Link pulled the boy up, ignoring Luneth's wincing as he hugged the bruised body tightly. "Let's take you home..."

* * *

Sorry, SGL! That's the closest I'm gonna get to yaoi. Personally, the idea of Link molesting the younger boy is just creepy to me...

Sorry about the Chinese character.

And sorry about the overused, stereotypical come-back-to-life scene. I had to write one someday...

Is it interesting yet, my little trio of readers? Don't be scared to leave a review; better yet, PM me. I don't want my little story to gain too much publicity…


	4. Chapter 4

Ah, sorry I'm so late! I really haven't had much inspiration, with my other story going on and all. Please accept my humble apologies, and enjoy this chapter! ^-^

* * *

Link clambered aboard the airship just as the earth exploded. Unbalanced, he toppled onto the deck, landing right on top of Luneth.

"Hey! Get off," the boy whined, trying to push the older boy away and failing miserably. Link was really heavy, and Luneth had been severely weakened by his encounter with the dragon. Even the few potions they'd found during the hike hadn't been able to heal him completely. Bruises and bite-marks covered his body... which Link had managed to completely squish.

The soldier stood up hurriedly, apologizing to the agonizing boy. "Sorry! It wasn't me, though... I think there's an earthquake going on!"

"What?" Rubbing his sore arms, Luneth peered over the edge of the airship and stared at the trembling ground below them. "Well, that's never happened before…"

The boys froze at the sound of a voice drifting from the nearby city. "Yeah, let me go check on the airship. It might not be tied down properly, or it could be too tight…"

"Let's get out of here," Link hissed. His companion nodded, taking out his daggers to saw away at the thick ropes that kept the aircraft connected to the stakes in the ground.

A short, stout man waddled out of the town as they were taking off. Not seeming to notice the boys aboard, he raised a hand to watch it fly away and cursed profusely. The ground opened up beneath him, swallowing him whole.

"That's what you get for your potty mouth in front of the gods!" Luneth called down.

Link pulled him away from the edge and turned back to the wheel. "How'd you even get this started? This has to be the most complicated piece of machinery I've ever seen!"

"Huh? Oh, I pushed the little button. You know, the one that has the little pair of wings drawn on?" Luneth gave his partner an odd look. What were universal symbols for if the universal idiots couldn't understand them? So airships wouldn't get stolen as often?

Link frowned, turning the wheel experimentally. The ship almost crashed into a shuddering mountain, and Luneth steadied his hands immediately. "What are you doing?! Haven't you ever driven an airship before?!"

"My ancestors drove boats… One drove a train… but I never learned! I'm a warrior, not a ferryman!" Link glared as the younger boy took over the steering, expertly leading the ship towards the edge of the continent. His promise about getting the freelancer back to Ur long forgotten, the soldier leaned back and let the boy drive.

Luneth chuckled to himself. "I don't know what a train is, but I can't believe you don't use boats of any kind! How do you get around?!"

"I walk. I run. I ride Epona. I get shot out of that weird guy's cannon. I hop off a cliff while holding a Cucco by its legs. I jump on top of Gorons and they throw me up. I put on Zora armor and swim to the bottom of the ocean. I jump around with Midna's help. I climb ladders. I ride in the claws of Twilight monsters with Midna's help. I-"

Luneth held up a hand. "Never mind. I wish I'd never asked. Let's just get out to the dark surface world and… Link?"

The green boy had dropped to the deck, mouth opening and closing helplessly as he stared ahead at the darkness. He almost looked as if he was about to throw up, but he finally found his words. "Dark…? As in… Twilight?"

"Twilight? I guess… Why does it matter?" Luneth stalled the engine and crouched next to his friend in concern. "Is something the…"

…

Link never heard what the boy said next. In the close proximity to the darkness, he could only hear the pounding in his head as the Triforce symbol burned brightly on his hand. The drumming faded into a dull throb, battering his brain as he lost consciousness.

…

"Link! Hey, Link!" Luneth tapped his comrade fearfully. Why had the soldier had such an odd reaction when he saw the darkness they were just meters away from entering? Oh, well. He'd wake up soon…

Luneth turned back to the steering wheel, pressing the silver button to put the engine back in gear. Black mist swelled around him as he drove into the darkness. Soon he couldn't see anything, not even his own hand pulling at the joystick. The darkness closed in, bringing with it an eerie silence and an ominous sense of doom…

His neck tingled suddenly, his hairs sticking straight up and a cold sweat breaking out down his back. Slowly, Luneth turned around. What he saw made him want to scream.

Link had vanished. In his place, a light-colored wolf with odd black markings running through its fur lay shaking on the deck. As he stepped back in horror, Luneth couldn't help but notice Link's sword lying next to the beast. What could this mean?

It couldn't be true. Link was a… werewolf?! Was this why Luneth had always felt an odd kinship with him, even though the soldier was a complete jerk?! He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

But maybe it wasn't Link! Maybe it was just a random monster… on the same flying airship, in the same exact place Link had been crouching just moments before. Right? Luneth crept up to it, reaching out a shaky hand.

The instant he touched the fur, his whole world turned upside down. Flashes of red swept across his eyes, accompanied by a pulsing pain in his head, and Luneth writhed on the ground, screaming silently. This was just like… this was just like…

…

Link shook his head, getting to his paws and looking around worriedly. He'd been afraid this would happen… the Twilight had overpowered him again, and he'd taken on his beast form once more. It had been a while since he'd been this way, and he half-expected Midna to pop out of his shadow the instant he took his first step.

He checked left and right, concerned that Luneth might see him… if he hadn't, already. The boy didn't seem to be around… then who was piloting the airship?!

With a bark of alarm, Link darted up to the steering wheel, pressing the first button he saw. Luneth had said the power source was button-operated, so the little shiny thing here must be the right one…

It was. Despite the strange triangle-marks that looked nothing like the Triforce, the button slid in with soft click and the engine droned to a stop. Link sighed with relief, and made to turn so he could look around…

The ship dropped suddenly, and Link silently cursed himself for not learning how to stall the engine like Luneth had. He let out a startled howl as the boat crashed into the ocean, sending waves of dark, murky blackness cascading over the side of the ship.

Upon collecting himself, Link took the time to more closely investigate the darkness they were currently floating on. To all the world, it appeared to be black water… but upon closer inspection, Link could see small currents of the darkness swishing around as unseen monsters thrashed about below.

He shook his head, dropping back to four paws on the wooden deck of the ship. Luneth had to be somewhere, and he'd probably want to see this… The wolf stopped short. What in Zelda's name…?

A silver wolf lay collapsed on the deck in front of him. As a million thoughts raced through his head at postman-speed, Link staggered up to the animal and sniffed it warily. There was no mistaking it. This was Luneth…

…

Luneth moaned, stretching wearily as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him. But they didn't adjust. The blackness kept going on in all directions, no matter where he looked. For a second he panicked, wondering if he'd gone blind. His whole body was feeling odd and sore… was his run-in with the dragon finally catching up to him?!

He took a shuddering breath… and stopped short. His long tongue slid over his fangs slowly as he comprehended. No. This couldn't be happening, not again! Why? Why must his curse continue to torture him?! The gods clearly didn't want him to save the world… Luneth rolled over, trying to cry with his tear duct-less wolf eyes and failing miserably.

He opened his eyes to a soft nudge. Oh, great. Now Link had seen him, and…

A fluffy face came into view, black as night and so huggable Luneth had to still his paws to keep from jumping at it. No, he had to remind himself. This was… Link?

The dark wolf had an odd sort of mane running down the back of his neck, and cute little tufts poked out on the side of his face. Link's dark markings over his white body were certainly odd, but the silver wolf wasn't anyone to judge.

As far as Luneth could tell, his own fur was as bright as the moon, all glowy and shimmering in the light… but this was apparently a bad thing. Werewolves on their own were bad things. And being a complete werewolf, being a full wolf, when you shouldn't even be a lycanthrope in the first place…

The unforgivable sin. By judgment of the gods, Luneth had been cast out of Ur by his own foster family, cast out of Ur by his would-be friends…

And yet… here was another werewolf, who didn't seem remorseful about his form at all. Luneth stared at him openly now. The boy he'd been trying so hard to appear normal to, the boy who had soon actually _ felt _ normal to be around… he was a wolf, as well.

Luneth hung his head, finding it suddenly unbearable to stare into the bright purple orbs of the other wolf any longer. They were both… they were both terrible sinners. And they'd been charged with saving a princess, and potentially a world, as well. What a joke!

…

Link cocked his head again, studying Luneth from a different direction. But no matter what angle he viewed it from, the wolf's coat was beautiful. The silvery fur, even in the deep darkness, was reflecting the weak light of the sun from many leagues above the clouds. The same as his hair…

But why did the wolf look so sad? This turn of events was a remarkable stroke of good luck! Link didn't know how the boy was a lycanthrope, and he wasn't about to ask, but it was just too good to be true! He sniffed the animal's fur again, trying to prove to himself that it wasn't a dream.

This was just great! Now they could fight monsters easier, and not have to worry about replacing weapons or stocking up on more bombs and arrows when they ran out… because they'd always have tooth and nail! Why was the silver wolf looking so crushed?

Link nudged him again, and his friend let out a low whine. Another prod produced the same result. Link gave up, turning back to the steering wheel. Luneth would get over it eventually…

…

Or not. Two hours of silent navigation through the darkness with wolf skills passed uneventfully, with no landmark sightings. And no attempts at communication, either.

Link sighed, giving up. Didn't the kid know anything? Midna had been a much better partner than this guy, even if she talked _too _much! The black wolf slapped the power button, anticipating the crash into the waves, while Luneth simply let it shake him around. Link turned around, licked his lips, and howled.

The Melody of Hope drifted into the air, and the silver wolf looked up cautiously. Just as Link had thought. The boy loved music, and any form of it was simply fascinating and captivated all attention. He himself had been like that once… In fact, he still was!

Link raised the pitch, blending into the Song of Wisdom. Luneth's purple eyes widened, and he raised his quivering chin to join in. The two wolves sat howling for a long minute, sharing their emotions through the lilting of their cries.

Luneth's weary thoughts filled his mind cautiously at first, and then the dam broke. All the pent-up emotions of the trying day overflowed, nearly sweeping Link away in their wake. Getting attacked by a monster werewolf, returning to Ur as if nothing had happened. It had filled the boy with terrible grief, to keep a secret from Nina and Arc…

His fear of being discovered, turned into a shockingly real nightmare when he transformed right in the center of town. The pain of being rejected by his village, his loneliness after being exiled under the 'wishes' of the gods… Link's heart panged for the boy. What a cruel practice, throwing a child out for simply contracting a permanent malignancy. The people of this world were shockingly heartless!

The small bit of hope in the djinn's help that had been ruthlessly shattered by Link himself, telling him the djinn was still sealed. What strong faith the boy had placed in the sorcerer, hoping against hope that his lycanthropy might be removed… The wolf wanted to slap himself. If only he'd known what was going on… he could have told the boy of the wonders of being a wolf, not the stereotypical myths of his people…

Luneth's fright upon being attacked by the dragon… Again, Link was furious with himself for not being there to protect the boy. He'd nearly died!

But what surprised the soldier the most was the overwhelming gratitude and friendship Luneth felt towards… himself? The boy was truly glad Link had been with him, every step of the way. Whining with open emotion, Link poured back all his positive lycanthropic memories to the poor child.

…

Luneth stood panting, listening to Link's howl. The cry cut through the night like a shuriken, piercing his very soul with its beauty. Link's feelings were trembling behind every tone as he told the story of his brave adventure with an imp named Midna. Being a wolf… sounded so amazing when Link put it into his wolf language! Why was he feeling this rush of adventure?

If he had been capable, the silver wolf would have bawled his eyes out. The beautiful poetic story… it made his romantic heartstrings throb! He joined in with the howl once again, filled with hope at the prospect of joining Link on their own adventure.

…

The two wolves, united through their emotions for the time being, had no inkling of the hardships lying ahead of them…

* * *

Once again… SORRY SORRY SORRY! I am so late, I know…

If you read this, and you have an idea for future things these two wolves can do… please let me know! This was about the extent of my blissful plotlessness… I need some motivation… ^-^


	5. Chapter 5

Ah, I'm back, friendly friends! ^-^ I guess I'll just continue my random typing and hope something comes to me…

…

Ah, done! The notes at the bottom are distracting, aren't they? Well, sorry this one was so short, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same! ^-^

* * *

Link always slept on his side. It had become a long-standing habit from his self-training as a warrior, with his sheath pressed to his stomach as he slept to keep the sword safe from would-be thieves. And during his times as a wolf… sleeping on his belly just felt too weird, and his legs had a tendency of falling asleep in that position.

So as he settled down for a quick nap, Link was very much alarmed to see Luneth lying down in the exact position he always avoided at all cost. He got up and padded over to the silver wolf, whining gently. Sleepy purple eyes blinked up at him in confusion.

Link whined, scratching at the deck and lying down in a blatantly obvious side position. His friend gave him a blank look, still not understanding. With a sigh, Link waved a paw at Luneth, then back at himself. Realization dawned in the sparkling eyes.

The silver wolf trotted up to the black one and flopped down next to him. Link yelped, hopping up and glaring at the perplexed wolf. What did he think this was, a puppy pile?!

He rolled his eyes, making his way back to his own side of the airship and leaving the bewildered animal on the cold wood. All traces of cuteness or feelings of kinship had vanished in Link the second that kid had relieved himself off the side of the boat.

Since they were currently parked in the darkness, the boys didn't have to worry about drifting past any land while they slept. Link settled back into his sleeping position on the warm spot he'd left in the wood. A short nap would be nice, and it was something he rarely experienced back in Hyrule. Other than the few occasions he'd been randomly knocked unconscious… but those didn't count. Now, just to close his eyes and enjoy a refreshing-

His body tensed up reflexively as something crept closer from behind. Even though he knew it was only Luneth, his old habits from the warrior life were still strong in his blood. A wet nose nuzzled into his fur, and Link snarled. What was this kid's problem?! Hadn't he ever slept alone before?!

Link paused, then twisted around to stare at the silver wolf as a thought struck him. The memory of their howling together earlier came back to him, and the soldier instantly felt guilty. Luneth had just been kicked out of his hometown, where he'd had his lifelong friend and foster mother. He probably missed their companionship, even more than Link missed Zelda right now… Maybe a little nap together wouldn't hurt. They were wolves, for Ganon's sake!

…

Luneth had expected to be rejected again, and he was sure he would have accepted it quietly, albeit miserably. But to his surprise, the black wolf in front of him rolled over in a welcoming position for Luneth to lie down.

He growled thankfully, snuggling up against the warm dark fur. As his breathing evened out, he couldn't help musing about what had happened earlier. Link had communicated with him… with howls? As odd as it seemed, Luneth could think of no other explanation. And yet it somehow made sense. All those cries in the night, that could be heard by even the smallest children cowering in bed, were really the wild animals connecting emphatically.

And Link had been so supportive… he'd told Luneth about smelling out enemies and secret items and other things of the sort. And the speed that wolves could reach… It sounded marvelous, and Luneth couldn't wait to experience his lycanthropy with new eyes… and a new friend. Such were his thoughts as he drifted off to sleep…

…

Link moaned, sitting up and looking around blearily. Where was he, again? Something was pressed up against his leg, and it didn't feel like his scabbard. He looked down. Blinked. Straightened up and stared straight ahead, unmoving and silent as he digested the shock.

Luneth… That's right. He'd met a boy named Luneth, who also happened to be a werewolf. And they were in a strange world, overcome by darkness. On a flying airship, button-operated. And Luneth had fallen asleep next to him.

Link blanched, backing away from the silver wolf immediately. How had this happened?! Sleeping with a boy; homeless, homesick, lonesome, and lycanthropic or not… he'd been sleeping with a boy! Whatever would Princess Zelda think?! The black wolf shuddered as he imagined her cheery little high-pitched voice laughing with those dreaded words…

"Oh, Link! How _ cute_! You really _ do_ have the feels, don't you?!"

A sudden nudge caught him off guard, and Link released a strangled yelp that sounded fairly ridiculous, given the circumstances. Luneth gave him an odd stare, then began howling. The tune was unknown to Link, but he caught on quickly and joined the song.

"What's wrong? We have to get going," Luneth's voice murmured in Link's subconsciousness.

He shuddered again. If that boy knew what he had been thinking… erk! With their minds in sync right now… Link cursed explicitly in his head, using all the disturbing swear words he'd ever learned from the palace guards.

Luneth stumbled into a hitch in his howl, but quickly recovered. "Eh?! What's… Cucco up a-"

"Don't repeat that one," Link begged. "Ever. The princess would have my head!"

"Then why say it…?" Luneth raised his pitch, his already-high-pitched cry becoming a Midna-ish squeal. "But I just wanted to tell you… that I can see land over that way."

Link barely had time to roar out a, "WHERE?!" Before his voice completely cracked and he darted to the side to scan the bleak horizon.

"There," Luneth finished on a gentle lilting note, waving his paw at a small speck of land with a shipwreck docked nearby. Link gazed at it, finding something a tad bit _ off _about the wreck. Why were there no people abovedecks? Speaking of which, why was the whole _world _pretty much empty? There should be more islands or continents than this… Could they be buried underneath the swathes of darkness?

Before he could voice his concerns to the other wolf, Luneth had already switched on the airship and set a course for the island. Sighing, Link sat down to enjoy the last bit of laziness he'd enjoy in a long while… he could just tell.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, sorry I'm late. I'll have the next update by Friday, at least… Or maybe tomorrow. What a terrible cliffhanger! I'm so evil…

* * *

Link cracked opened an eye at Luneth's first bark, and the second jolted him awake completely. The emotion behind the cry resembled… excitement? Or desperation?

Picking himself up, he trotted to the edge of the airship. Why couldn't the kid just let him sleep in…?The wolf stopped short, sniffing the air. Something was a bit off about this particular area, and it felt like there was less darkness in the air… His eyes dropped to Luneth, who was huddled on the deck in front of him.

As if feeling the dark wolf's glare, the other looked up and sighed. 'There's no way we can get off this ship, but we're going to have to try…'

'What?! You already found out how to use telepathy?!'

The silver wolf straightened, his expression humble… But his eyes revealed the pride he felt in mastering the skill after relying completely on howling just a few hours before. '…Yes, but that's not the point. We have to get down _there_-' He gestured to the island with a tilt of his head '-before someone in there dies!'

'Dying isn't something I've ever been able to sense… are you sure?' Link looked over the edge dubiously.

'I'm sure.' Luneth turned to look back at the wrecked ship. 'There's someone in there, and their aura is fading…'

Link shuddered. With the way the silver wolf implied it through his emotions, Link could almost feel the soul slipping away himself… What other powers did the boy possess that they had yet to learn of? 'Fine, then. Let's go.'

Luneth let out a low whine. 'That's the problem! I don't know how we're going to get down there without breaking our legs!' He gazed mournfully at the hard ground twenty feet below. 'There's no way we'll be safe without a ladder… and we can't use the one below-decks that's made out of rope.'

Link acted quickly, taking a running jump from the ship. Falling through the air in exhilaration, he enjoyed the wind in his face before rolling to break his fall on the grass. 'Who needs safety? Just do what I did.' He looked up at the shivering wolf and chuckled to himself. Just like he'd been as a child…

'I… I don't want to risk it! Sure, I've climbed trees before, but never jumped out of them! Arc was the reckless one in that regard…' The silver head shook slowly before disappearing from the edge of the parked boat.

Link sighed. At least the boy could talk about his friends again… but this was going to get them nowhere if he wasn't going to jump. Maybe he could ditch the kid right here, and check out the wreck on his own…

A loud howl bugled from above, sounding so much like a scream at first that Link immediately looked around for Princess Zelda or Ilia. When he realized who it was, the wolf stared up in shock.

Luneth plunged out of the sky, his lips pulled back from the force of the air rushing into them. 'LINK! H-how do I stop?!'

'Roll in a little somersault as you hit the bottom…' Staring up at Luneth's stressed face, the dark wolf got the feeling that his friend had never heard of such a thing in his life. 'Er, you know, a flip!'

Silver legs thrashed wildly as the wolf tried to right himself in midair. 'What's that?! You mean like what you did?'

'Just… fold your legs in and roll your body,' Link tried, watching his friend freak out in the most dangerous situation possible. He was almost to the ground, and Link remembered any other vital pieces of information. 'But don't tense, or-'

Luneth slammed down in front of him, creating a loud splash and sinking rather deeply into the muddy ground. Link shook the filth out of his fur, feeling a bit guilty for not warning the boy about the mucky terrain. 'Are you all right?'

Long moments passed with no answer as Luneth struggled to pull his head free of the mud. Finally, 'Link… I can't… breathe…'

With a jolt, the dark wolf reassessed the situation, trotting around the large puddle to confirm the truth of his words. The boy was most certainly stuck… but how was Link to get him out?

'Just stay still, and I'll think of something, kid.' He continued circling the heap of mud, quickly concluding that he'd have to pull Luneth out himself. 'Get ready… still okay in there?'

A muffled jumble of nonsense was the only reply so he took it as a "yes". Bracing himself for the gross filth, Link took a few steps back and began running at his friend.

"Crysanthemums and a cucco-headed peacock!" A loud shout brought Link to a startled halt, and he turned around to see a squat old man shuffling towards him. Certain this was simply a result of not knowing the language, Link assumed the man just wanted to stop him.

The dark wolf reluctantly turned his back to his still-struggling friend and sat in anticipation of the senior's arrival. This had better be quick… Whatever gibberish the man had to say, Luneth's rescue was still his utmost concern!

"Lalala floating Midna in Ur," the stranger insisted, holding up a pair of green shoes. "Icky dragon had a house!"

Link tilted his head as far sideways as possible, squinting at the footwear in bewilderment. Was he supposed to put them on? Or was the old guy going to rescue Luneth himself?

'Link… I… I can't…' The dark wolf whined, looking back at the Luneth. His cry peaked into a howl of concern when he saw no movement coming from the body.

"HOGWARTS JACKRABBIT! HOGWARTS JACKRABBIT!" The man's face turned red with the exertion of his cry, and his eyes began to bulge out of his head.

Link snatched the shoes from the trembling, bony hands. He slipped one onto his front left foot and the other onto his back right for balance. Ignoring the further cries of Timmy in the well, he raced for the mud at full speed.

'Luneth! Are you all right?! I'm getting you out of there,' Link promised, hopping around wildly like a… Was that what the man had meant?! …Making like a Hogwarts jackrabbit, the dark wolf bounded up to his friend's nearly completely submerged body.

"Timmy's in the well, Harry! Five o'clock and all is well…" Link gritted his teeth, furious with the nonsensical ramblings. All _wasn't_ well! Luneth was terribly stuck in the pit, and it would take more than an unbalanced werewolf to tug him out…

'L… ink…'

The dark wolf popped a vein, staring at his friend helplessly. How on earth was he supposed to do this?! Even without Luneth tugging at his heartstrings with every painful sentence…

'The… the Levigrass Shoes…'

What? Did he mean the green things on Link's paws right now? He glanced at them, then nudged the silver shoulder to let him know he had heard.

'Slide… slide one… un…' The body shook silently, finally letting out its last withheld breath.

'LUNETH! WAKE UP!' Frantic, Link rammed into his friend countless times, trying to break him free of the clotting mud.

"_Timmy's in the well_!" The man shrieked, hopping around crazily.

Startled, Link recalled the wolf's last words. Slide a shoe… under? Under what?

"Timmy, Timmy!" The man cried, gesturing at Luneth. Link nodded, thinking he understood then.

Pulling his back shoe off, the dark wolf nudged it under the body of his friend as his lower quarters began to sink. _Come on… please work_!

"Timmy… Timmy died."

Glaring at the befuddled man with every last ounce of rage he could muster, Link fervently hoped he had heard wrong again. If the boy had really died this time…

But who was he kidding?! After all, the kid had survived a dragon attack… Link was hardly processing the fact that they were both sinking now. …But if it ended here, it was all his fault. Why had he jumped so recklessly from the ship?! If he hadn't, Luneth wouldn't have had the misfortune to land in such a terrible location…

The mud exploded all of a sudden, launching the body high into the air. Link stared up at the buzzing Levigrass Shoe, trying its hardest to support the wolf's weight.

'Luneth…?' Barking wildly in hopeful excitement, Link rushed underneath the shoe and caught the silver wolf on his back. 'Come on, open your eyes!'

"Timmy! Timmy died, Timmy died!" The senior was shaking his head sadly, and Link shuddered despite himself. Was he still too late?

He struggled out of the mud with the last shoe, leaving the other floating in the filth somewhere. Once on firm land again, he collapsed, letting the boy draped over him slide gently off.

'It's all right… You can wake up now, Lu…' He stopped, knowing he wouldn't be able to bear it if he was talking to a dead body. Resting his chin on his paws instead, he waited for any signs of life to show from the wolf.

Not breathing… Not moving… Not warm… Not-wet nose… The blinking red signs did not bode well, so Link ignored them. Focusing instead on the way his position made Luneth _look _like he was alive, and how he seemed like he _ could _ be breathing, Link kept faith and stayed by his side.

"I'll get Lassie," the man decided, striding away from the two.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, sorry about the cliffhanger, oh-few-people-who-read-this… I think just SGL and two others now. Allow me to continue… Oh, and the old man has no name, so I made one up! ^-^

* * *

Link began performing CPR on the silver wolf, giving up all hope of the old man returning. It had already been thirty minutes…

"Lassie come home!" The dark wolf looked up in surprise at the senior shuffling slowly back to the bog with a young girl in tow. Really _towing _her! He was pulling her limp body by the arm, dragging the silky blue dress through dirt and grime.

As Link watched, the maiden stirred and said something, standing up on her own. Pulling away from the man, she uttered another soft word that Link could almost understand. Then, "What is it, Gyrung?"

What?! How was Link comprehending her words? He shook his head, trying to remember if the old man had been saying homophones to the Hylian language or actual Hylian… "Timmy fat Cucco in a well!" Gyrung piped up happily.

No… just homophones. The girl must be special, then… Link gazed up at her, and they locked eyes for a moment. "Who is g-h-jackalope?" Her voice faded away, replaced by utter nonsense similar to what the man had been speaking. What was going on here?!

"Rupees?" She asked, looking at him expectantly. Link couldn't hold her gaze any longer, dropping his eyes to stare at Luneth again. "Trolls!" She cried, startling the wolf badly. "Trolls and mountain potions. Gyrung, justify golden bugs?!"

Link took a step back, unnerved by the girl's expression. After yelling at the man, whose name apparently didn't change, she squinted her eyes shut and made a constipated face. It wasn't her fault she was spouting random, nonsensical words to Link's poor sensitive ears, but that face…

"…Cura," the girl said finally, the word strangely beautiful and melodic after the rough translations moments earlier. Coupled with her twisted expression, it was all Link could do not to cry out in bewilderment.

"Seriously though, Gyrung! Why didn't you wake me sooner? If I'd known this poor wolf was out here, I would have been fine with our Gnomish b-bats killer turtle-feet!" As the girl ran out of comprehensible sentences once more, Link began to get an idea of what was going on. After casting a magic spell, the remaining effects in the area around her let a foreigner understand her language…

As if sensing the wolf staring at her, the maiden turned slowly around and locked eyes with Link again. "Snack… Libra!" Uttering another spell, she began to study him closely; every last hair and toenail went under her inspection. Link felt somewhat violated.

"You are not from here, correct?" The wolf nodded eagerly, willing her to continue speaking until her magic wore off. "Why are you with another wolf, then? It's clear you're a human. But… you care so much for an animal of the same gender…" She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my… I completely misjudged you!"

'No,' Link cried out from the depths of his mind. 'He's just a friend, you perverted girl!' The maiden didn't seem able to receive telepathy, though, and gave no reply or recognition that she had heard.

Ignoring Link's cry, she continued. "That's all right, I guess. I mean, you would have gotten along great with me… or maybe you would let me p-pyromaniac Majora… Majora's Mask?"

What on earth… Those words sounded strangely familiar, but what had she really been trying to say? Link shook his head, hoping the damsel understood he no longer comprehended her words.

The instant he shook the first 'no,' the watery eyes welled up with tears. Feeling as if he had made a terrible mistake, Link quickly nodded. She smiled sadly, turning away from him and back to Luneth. Confused, Link craned his neck to peer over her shoulder and watch what she was doing.

"My boomerang… Linebeck broke it." So saying, she slipped a dagger out of her gown pocket and raised it directly above Luneth's throat. A small tear escaped a blue eye before she squeezed them both shut, her entire body shaking silently. Then a deep breath, her muscles tensing…

Link couldn't watch her do it. Howling pitifully, he leapt at the maiden, knocking her away from his friend and forcing the blade to clatter away. 'Stop… it. I don't care how cute you are, you _don't hurt_ Luneth!'

To his surprise, the girl nodded shakily as if she understood. "Wisdom Gem. …Esuna. Please excuse my actions, but I had to make sure you're a loyal friend. I wouldn't have killed such a valuable pelt just like that! I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping it around instead of skinning it already…"

"What?!" Gyrung hobbled over to the two, and Link realized he was actually understanding the senior for the first time. "You can't just_ skin _a beautiful hide like this! It must be fed until that fur shines, and then by the light of the stars above, _ sacrifice _its life to the goddess of-"_  
_

"STOP!" Link roared, surprising himself even more than the others. "I…" Looking down at his human hands, he flipped them over and patted the green tunic he was wearing once again. "Did you…?"

The maiden looked pleased. "Esuna worked! It is a spell that cures all status problems, and your little wolf incident was just that! …I'm Aria, by the way. And what is your name?"

"Er… Link. Do you think you could use that spell on Luneth, too? He's just my friend, so don't get those wacky ideas…" He considered adding 'pervert' at the end, but decided against it under the grounds that Luneth might end up being the one that suffered.

Aria laughed, a clear melodic sound, and she nudged Gyrung playfully. "Ha, so it's a _friend _now! And the green guy knows our tongue!"

"…Grapple claw?"


	8. Chapter 8

Yah. That last chapter was UNEVENTFUL AS FAT CHOCOBO. And that thing is lame… I mean, there's no need to store things when you have unlimited bag space! Sorry, I'll make it more exciting this time. And I promised SGL it would be epic! ^-^

* * *

Luneth woke to the sound and warmth of a crackling fire. He lay there for a moment, his breathing unnaturally shallow for reasons he couldn't quite be sure of. Then the terrible scent of burning hair filled his nostrils, and he leapt away with a yelp and a strangled cry. What was going on?! He attempted to jump back again, and failed miserably. Shouldn't he be able to move around just fine in this small room? The sense of numbness in his legs had been soothed away by the fire, so why couldn't he walk? The wolf finally managed to twist his pounding head around, and that was when he saw the ropes.

…

Link shook his head for what felt like the thirtieth time. "You know what, Aria? I don't think I should take him with me, after all. Esuna only barely managed to cure _me_, and he's probably too weak to fully recover at the moment. And even if he did, a guard wolf would be of no help."

"I know! That's why we're going to leave him here. And I still don't believe that thing is human at all…" The water maiden pursed her lips, looking away over the edge of the airship.

Link sighed. "I thought you were going to stay with him until he was better, not leave him in a closet and go exploring with me."

"It's not 'exploring'; it's called saving the world with crystal power!" Aria frowned, striding over to the steering wheel despite her obvious lack of nutrition. "And he's not completely alone. Gyrung is in there somewhere, and I started a fire to warm the thing up a little and give him some light."

The soldier blinked. What was wrong with this girl?! _He_ should have been the one taking care of his friend, not some nutcase damsel who thought starting a fire in a closet was a good idea. But more importantly… "He can get out, right?"

The girl gave Link an odd look. "Of course not! Why would I leave a dangerous beast loose in the ship where it can rip up things and maul Gyrung?!"

"Hey! Well, why did you give _me_ a chance when you thought I wasn't a wolf?"

"You could understand me and Gyrung, couldn't you?" When Link nodded, Aria continued. "That creature has not once shown a sign of humanity!"

The girl was seriously ticking him off, and Link had to take a deep breath to keep his voice relatively calm. "You never gave him a chance to communicate! And Luneth could probably have obeyed better than I did then. I couldn't understand a word your friend was saying, and I still can't…"

"But aren't you from around here?" Aria seemed troubled for a moment, contemplating a deep thought.

A sudden howl interrupted her cravings of any food other than gnomish bread, and she jumped back from the rail in surprise. The cry was colored with an expression of fear and pain, and it pulled at her heartstrings. What was so seriously wrong that the monster would howl in such a way? Was it dying from the fire she had hoped wouldn't… The idea of going to check and see briefly crossed her mind, until she realized that Link was intending to do the same thing.

"No, no, no! Stay back, stay back! I'm sure he's all right." Aria grinned as she pushed away at Link, blissfully unaware that she was making no headway whatsoever. "Gyrung is watching your pet thing, and he's a good caretaker. After all, _I'm_ doing _fine_ right now!"

Her victim pressed his lips together to keep from making a rude comment. And though it pained him to do it, he shoved her aside. He hopped carefully off of the derigible in case of more bottomless bogs. He couldn't trust a jabbering old man to take care of that poor kid; much less in a closet! "It's fine. I want to see him right now…"

…

Gyrung sat on the floor, taking deep breaths as slowly and as evenly as possible. That terrible chest pain… could it have been the product of some bad spell? He looked down, his sore ribs protesting against the movement. Why… Why did it hurt so much? He wished it would just end, already…

…

Luneth howled his heart out, shying away from the fire with his short lead every time it got too close. The way it was positioned, the rope should have burned through already. Since it hadn't, it was probably woven of mythril silver or some other type of solid metal. His only option was to wait it out; either for the fire to die down, or for it to consume him. At the rate things were going… The wolf pushed the thought away, replacing it with musings of how he got here in the first place. Raising his head again, he let loose with one last mournful cry.

…

Why did Luneth seem to have such a knack for life-threatening situations like this? It was downright scary, and Link would have no chance of keeping the boy safe if this kept up. Then again, this matter could be blamed on the Water Maiden, Aria… The soldier put on a burst of speed, the urgency of the situation soon overriding his ability to think clearly. The current room smelled like flowers… and death.

What?! Link stopped abruptly, gazing around at his surroundings. His haphazard running had taken him to a large room with two beds and a small vase of flowers on a table. And on the floor… what? It was… Gyrung?! The boy stumbled uneasily over to the body, unsure of whether the old man was alive or dead. A quick sniff was enough to confirm his fears. Being this close to the twilight could sometimes be a good thing…

But what had caused this? Gyrung didn't seem to be harmed, and he wasn't bleeding anywhere. Only his face and fingers seemed odd; they were tinged slightly blue as if he'd been lacking oxygen before he keeled over. It could have been a heart attack, but not a wolf. Luneth would never have done this…

Link's last thought overpowered his unease over the death, returning his state of mind to a frantic race against the death of another person. The wolf had stopped howling… did that mean he, too, had…? Link found his feet tearing down a hallway he hadn't even noticed before, running through a wrecked galley and yet completely ignoring the stench of rotten food. His chin was tilted back, nose raised and zeroed in on the scent of smoke. His pointed ears had swiveled forward in a position he hadn't known they could even perform, but all he was listening for was the sound of scratching; anything!

'Help…' The word drifted out of a door in a long whine, piercing the swordsman's heart.

"Luneth? Are you in there?!" Link burst into a large bedroom and strode over to the closet, his pace nowhere near as fast as he wished it would be. As he did so, he noticed smoke seeping out from under the door. The kid had better be all right…

He flung it open, expecting the worst. The billowing cloud of smoke did nothing to help his anxiety as it poured out through the doorway, obscuring his vision of the closet's interior. '…Link?'

"I'm here, kid! Where are you?" Closing his eyes, the boy tried to use his nose to sniff out his friend, but the fire was causing too much smoke to be able to discern any significant smell. Luneth didn't speak again, which worried him even more.

After a while, the fog had cleared out through the open porthole and Link could see the contents of the tiny room. A cheery fire crackled away in the center, near a metal chain posted in the far back corner. Link followed its route in growing concern, all the way down to a silver heap at his feet.

Luneth looked terrible, his fur scorched and still smoking from the close proximity to the fire. He appeared to be breathing, but only barely. There were no signs of serious burns, though, which was a huge relief. To enlist Aria's Cura in healing the wolf would be like rubbing Cucco spit in this already deep social wound…

'Link… what's going on?' The simple question nearly brought tears to his eyes, and Link couldn't resist pulling the silver wolf into his lap as he sat down. His captive yelped in pain, sparking a more fervent scan for injury. Then, 'I don't like that, Link! It burns…'

"But you're safe, right?" The Hylian frowned as he eased Luneth back onto the cold wooden floor. Though he claimed the holding was all that caused him pain, the wolf's paws were red and the fur was scraped away as a result of his ardent scratching at the door.

Sensing the purple eyes on him, Luneth tucked his front paws under his chest with a slight wince. 'Stop worrying. Nothing hurts; I'm just a bit confused… What happened?'

Link explained the bottomless bog incident, much to Luneth's horror. 'I've heard of those, but I just can't believe I'd land right in the middle of one! Though the last thing I remember _is_ jumping off the airship…'

"Hey, Link! Get away from that monster; he's about to bite you!" Indeed, Link had to agree that the way the wolf was rearing his head back did seem provocative, but Aria's Tornado was completely unnecessary… not to mention supposedly impossible for a white mage.

He stood up, grinning apologetically at Luneth, who still hadn't had the maiden or his whereabouts explained yet. "Aria… it's all right. This is Luneth. And Luneth, this is Aria. I hope you guys can be… _better_ friends from now on."

The silver wolf stood up, reaching out a trembling neck to the girl to soothe her nerves and hopefully call off her advanced black magic spell. Though he was incredibly weak from the fire incident, such a tornado would ransack the room and likely do him in for good… He risked a glance at the closet he'd narrowly escaped from, then up to the boy in green who seemed very upset. He still had absolutely no idea what was going on…

"Get it away!" Aria's shrill cry sent the small storm churning into a whirlwind of fire and debris, literally tearing the room apart. Luneth sidestepped out of its way as it whipped around. Fully four meters in height and at least two in diameter, the storm Aria had produced was not that of an ordinary water maiden! "Get it away, get it away! I can't…" She broke down, collapsing into a sobbing mess on the ground.

Link kneeled next to her as the tornado died away. The room was a scene of complete and utter wreckage, and looked as if it had had a storm rip through it. "Aria… are you-"

"I'M NOT ARIA! STOP CALLING ME THAT!" The girl tore off the long silvery blonde wig, throwing it on the ground as she cried. "I never meant to do this… _He _ made me do it… And I couldn't stand to watch Luneth change back, so I played along even though it meant he might…"

The wolf in question tipped his head sideways, caught off guard. 'Played along with what?'

Link translated, and the girl smiled sadly at the animal she had so terribly abused. "You wouldn't know. You never knew me… But you would have, if Link hadn't come. I thought I might be able to find what we had in this boy, but I was wrong." She brushed her short orange bangs out of her eyes and moved elegantly through the wrecked floorboards of the room. "Xande has taken everything from me, from us. But you can still stop him. If you can, this time paradox will end and you might yet remember me. At the very least, you will be out of that form and we can be together again. So I will stay here, waiting for you, Luneth."

The wolf blinked, a shimmering aura surrounding him as the girl cast Esuna with her eyes tightly shut. His body twisted about, limbs reforming and shedding the silver hair. A quick Cura swept over the scars and sores he had accumulated in the closet as he felt his face returning to normal.

"Wait, 'RE-" His cry came too late, as the girl had already cast her third spell.

She blipped away with Teleport, leaving the two boys to wonder what Luneth had almost said. The name was gone, having slipped out of his mind the instant the girl disappeared. But those sad eyes… That expression would stay with him for a long time to come…


End file.
